What is '764'? FBI investigates violent online network preying on children and teens

A new online threat has emerged from a violent sextortion network called "764" that manipulates children in what the FBI described as "one of the most disturbing things" they're seeing.

FBI agents say the network operates through popular apps such as Discord, Snapchat, Roblox and they target children as young as 9 years old, according to news source. Predators pose as peers in an effort to build trust and then convince the children to send explicit photos and then use them to control them.

Federal officials say the predators coerce their victims into escalating sexual and violent behavior, pressuring victims to create pornography, hurt siblings, kill family pets, cut themselves or even to commit suicide, according to reports from authorities. The group even hosts "watch parties" for others to watch them torment their victims live online.

"In the role of counterterrorism, we see a lot of bad things and a lot of people looking to harm others. But this is one of the most disturbing things we're seeing,” said David Scott, assistant director of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division, which is now leading many of the U.S. government's investigations tied to 764.

The FBI has more than 250 investigations into "764" currently underway, with every single one of its field offices nationwide handling a 764-related case, Scott told ABC News in an exclusive interview.

Scott says members of 764 are rewarded for cruelty. “The more gore, the more violence, the more that they victimize these kids — that raises their stature within the groups. It’s sort of a badge of honor within some of these groups to actually do the most harm to victims.”

Officials explain the 764 group is part of a broader ideology they've labeled nihilistic violent extremist (NVE), a disturbing philosophy built on chaos, cruelty and destruction and characterizing the most heinous actors, according to sources.

What is 764?

The "764" is a transnational sextortion network, associated with cybercrime, child sexual exploitation, kidnapping and murder. It was founded in 2021 by Bradley Cadenhead, a teenager from Stephenville, Texas who used their zip code to derive its name 764.

According to the Department of Justice website, 764 is a network of nihilistic violent extremists who engage in criminal conduct in the United States and abroad, seeking to destroy civilized society through the corruption and exploitation of vulnerable populations, which often include minors. The 764 network’s goals include social unrest and the downfall of the current world order, including the United States Government.

"764" is classified as a terror network by the United States and considered a "tier one" terrorism threat by the FBI.

The DOJ reports two significant takedowns of leaders of the 764 network: Leonidas Varagiannis, 21, also known as “War,” a citizen of the United States residing in Thessaloniki, Greece, and Prasan Nepal, 20, also known as “Trippy,” of North Carolina, were arrested and charged for operating an international child exploitation enterprise known as “764,” a nihilistic violent extremist (NVE) network.

The DOJ accuses Varagiannis and Nepal, "in multiple instances, defendants threatened and caused their victims to engage in self-mutilation, online and in-person sexual acts, harm to animals, sexual exploitation of siblings and others, acts of violence, threats of violence, suicide, and murder."

“These arrests expose one of the most disturbing online child exploitation networks we’ve ever encountered,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch in the DOJ report.